This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The primary purpose of LPTC's INBRE research project, Aura Imaging, Iridology and Sclerology Research, is to demonstrate the complexity of the human organism and the importance of the many homeostatic mechanisms that work in concert to give a person health and vitality. Through this a number of opportunities are offered to our student interns. First, it offers the interns hands-on research experience that is equivalent to their level of education and commensurate with their cultural experience. Second, it supports the students'goals to pursue degrees in health-related fields and satisfy their desire to provide a service to the larger community of the Winnebago Tribe. Third, it exposes the students to current technology and demonstrates an immediate, relevant and practical application. Additionally, it provides the interns with an opportunity to evaluate traditional health/wellness assessment methodologies, exposes them to comparative data to evaluate the efficacy of the methodologies and guides them in determining if any or all of the methodologies can be used to augment and enhance Western methods of evaluation of health/wellness SPECIFIC AIMS Aim 1: To demonstrate the complexity of the human organism and the importance of the many homeostatic mechanisms that work in concert to give a person health and vitality. The human body is very complex, being made up of eleven systems that maintain health and wellness through homeostatic mechanisms. None of the systems works independently;each is interdependent on every other system. Through this research LPTC students will gain first hand knowledge of the interdependence of the multiple systems of the body and how they maintain homeostatic balance. Aim 2: To offer the students at LPTC hands-on research experience that is equivalent to their level of education and commensurate with their cultural experience. LPTC is chartered by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, a sovereign nation, to provide higher educational opportunities for the surrounding area, focusing on a balance between educational advancement and cultural preservation. In the Winnebago heritage of respect, integrity and self-reliance, LPTC's mission is to help its students integrate culture;academics;and physical, psychological, and spiritual behavior, first within themselves, and then as they interface with a multicultural world. Gregory Cajete, a Tewa Indian from Santa Clara Pueblo and Professor at the University of New Mexico maintains in his book Igniting the Sparkle that, "Culture shapes the inception and reception of science" (p. 8). By integrating the indigenous arts of iridology, sclerology and aura imaging with standard medical science practices the students will be able to meld their educational experience with their cultural experience. Aim 3: To support the students'goals to pursue degrees in health-related fields and satisfy their desire to provide a service to the larger community of the Winnebago Tribe. Cajete says that "Traditional Native American systems of educating are characterized by observation, participation, assimilation and experiential learning" (p. 27). This research will offer the students an opportunity to observe the dynamics of health in individuals, participate in the collection of the scientific data, and assimilate new knowledge through a service to their community. Aim 4: To expose the students to current technology and demonstrate an immediate, relevant and practical application. When the early European explorers observed sclerology being practiced by the Blackfoot and Nez Perce Native Americans (Mehlmauer, 2002, para. 5), there were no cameras or computers. The analysis was dependent on a well-trained practitioner. This has been true up to very recent times, with the practitioner using only a bright light, a magnifying glass and a notepad. The advancement of camera equipment over the last 100 years has greatly improved the consistency of the analysis of the eyes. Today with the development of digital cameras and the ability to input the picture into a computer, the analyses can be standardized to increase reliability, reproducibility as well as sensitivity. LPTC students will be able to use up-to-date technology to evaluate the efficacy of traditional Native American practices. Aim 5: To give students exposure to scientific methods of inquiry, using a model that is premised on Native concepts of science and the interrelatedness of science and the natural world. This will allow LPTC students "to acquire skills that will enable them to conduct successful research either in, or away from, their respective reservation communities" (ND Tribal College Faculty Research Model, 2008, p. 12). This model of research has been used successfully by the North Dakota Tribal College Faculty with great success over the last eight years. Aim 6: To evaluate traditional health/wellness assessment methodologies. Research has shown that the size, shape, configuration, shading, and various other aspects of the eye describe health qualities and real conditions within the body. Modern iridology and sclerology are generally based on the concept that the eye reflects what is happening throughout the body via nerve conduction (Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine-Iridology, 2005, Description section, para 1). Iridology is the study of the iris[unreadable]the colored portion of the eye. Sclerology is the study of the white of the eye. Aura imaging generates a colorful image of a person's face and upper torso using various methods of biofeedback. Martin and Moraitis (2006) describe this magnetic aura as a field of energy that emanates from the magnetic field generated by the body itself and is analogous to the magnetic field around the Earth, though considerably weaker (para, 11-12). Aim 7: To expose students to comparative data to evaluate the efficacy of the methodologies. Each technique will be analyzed using Z-score, Chi Square, Analysis of Variance and the Correlation Coefficient to help objectively analyze the ability of each discipline to identify homeostatic mechanisms in the body system. Aim 8: To determine if any or all of the methodologies can be used to augment and enhance Western methods of evaluation of health/wellness. By using new and improved equipment and the latest methods of analysis, the intention is to evaluate whether these three disciplines can compliment Western biomedical practices.